Noble Blood - ...The Gunpowder Treason and Plot

Episode Date: January 17, 2023

The plot was set: 36 barrels of gunpowder ready to blow beneath the House of Parliament on November 5, 1605. But the conspirators would be betrayed, and soon the authorities would be hot on their heels... JOIN THE PILGRIMAGE TO CORNWALL! Support Noble Blood: — Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon — Merch! — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and pre-order its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot.

But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, The cat, just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of IHeart Radio and grim and mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised. This is part two of our series on the gunpowder plot. If you haven't listened to last week's episode, you should probably start. there. On the evening of October 26, 1605, a man walked through the streets of London with the weight of his treason, jostling uneasily inside his coat pocket. I like to imagine this man periodically grasping at the same patch of cloth on his chest as he made it through the throngs of Londoners, casually strolling to their Wednesday evening dinner plans, a minor heart attack ensuing each time until he felt the

envelopes reassuring crinkle underneath his layers of outer wear. Though even as his fingers brushed against the paper's edge, the letter's contents likely kept the man from feeling anything close to reassurance. The truth was, the man was carrying not one, but two counts of treason on his person. The first belonged to his participation in the planned Catholic coup against the British Protestant government, set to take place in Parliament in just 10 days on the 5th of November. The same plot that had a man named Guy Fawkes overseeing 36 barrels of gunpowder underneath the floors of Parliament, just waiting for the order to give the whole building, and everyone inside of it, a fireworks show, the likes of which they had never and undoubtedly

would never see again. The second count of treason was not against the British government, but against the group behind the gunpowder plot itself. For in the rumpled envelope, in the man's jacket pocket was not information for his co-conspirators, but a warning for their enemy. Whether it was cold feet or a sudden burst of humanity invading the man's conscience, the evening of October 26th found this man stalking the streets of London in search of the servant to one Lord Montego. Later, when recalling the encounter, the servant would only be able to characterize the man who had stopped him as a, quote, man of reasonable tall personage, unquote. In the centuries to come, historians would come a little closer to establishing the man's

true identity. Could it have been Thomas Percy? One of the five men who had first conspired, to blow up Parliament alongside Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby at the Duck and Drake Inn in May 1604. If not him, was there a chance this mysterious man wasn't even related to the plot at all? Was he just a courier sent in someone else's stead? Or is it possible, well, did this man even exist? Maybe Lord Montego staged this incident. entire scene in his account to King James, so as to distance himself from the knowledge, he had otherwise, somehow, come to acquire.

The truth will likely remain lost to history. Who this man actually was walking through London with the letter in his pocket, or whether he had even existed at all, but the words of that letter, written in their hasty, near-eligible Scrawl would be remembered long after the mysterious man who stopped Lord Montego's servant disappeared into the night. Quote, my lord, out of the love I bear to some of your friends, I have a care of your preservation. Therefore, I would advise you to devise some excuse to shift of your attendance at this parliament. For though there be no appearance of any, stir yet, I say they shall receive a terrible blow. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood.

Upon receiving the rumpled letter from his servant, Lord Montego wasn't entirely sure what to think. On one hand, the late hour in which the note arrived, in conjunction with the poor penmanship and odd channels it had taken to get to him in the first place, all added up to something more akin to a prank than a real warning. After all, who would be crazy enough to actually conspire a terrible blow against the whole of Parliament? Well, if you need a quick recap as to exactly who was crazy enough to attempt to blow up Parliament, allow me to briefly bring you up to speed. In response to Queen Elizabeth I and King James's persecution of British Catholics in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, a group of five Catholic recusants,

led by a man named Robert Catesby, met in London at the Duck and Drake Inn in May 1604, to discuss the beginnings of what would come to be known as the gunpowder plot. Sitting at the table next to Catesby were his second in command, Thomas Wintour, the renowned swordsman Jack Wright, a guardsman of the Earl of Northumberland, Thomas Percy and notorious explosive as expert, Guy Fox. Together, the men agreed to plot an attack against Parliament and the King, a plot which took the form of Thomas Percy acquiring the storage space underneath the House of Parliament so Guy Fox could pose as a footman named John Johnson, who would then

smuggle 36 barrels of gunpowder hidden underneath piles of firewood into its depth. to be set off on the opening day of Parliament when the king would be present, November 5th, 1605, after which Catesby, Wintour, and Wright would spread news of the king's death in the Midlands, kidnap the king's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and establish her as England's next Catholic ruler. And while Lord Montego likely had no prior knowledge of the plot, and therefore questioned its author, authenticity, his servant held no such doubts. As it happened, Montego's servant actually had close family ties to the family of one of the original conspirators, Jack Wright, the swordsman. So when Lord Montego eventually decided to err on the side of caution and send word to warn his

colleagues, his servant had already sent word to write, relaying the betrayal within their ranks. Upon receiving word from right that they had been betrayed, Catesby and his second in command, Wintour, immediately tried to weed out the traitor in their ranks, but this proved to be a flaw in their own design. Because while Percy and Fox had been left to deal with the practical measures of securing a location for the gunpowder to be placed to ensure maximum destruction, Catesby and winter had been busy recruiting additional conspirators to help in the plot. And by mid-October, the number of plotters had risen from the original five that had met at the Duck and Drake to a sizable 13. Of course, more help also meant more mouths to keep quiet. And if the letter was any

indication, as the date of the attack drew closer, at least one of the men, began to get cold feet. In the ten intervening days between the discovery of the Montego letter and the opening of parliament, chaos and panic rose like a fog in the London streets. The leaked letter caused tensions among the conspirators to run higher with each passing day, until finally, some of the newer recruits began to openly voice their doubts to Catesby. In the end, even Thomas Wintor all but begged Catesby to call off the plot, but predictably he couldn't be swayed. The end was near, and he wanted to see it through no matter the cost.

With the clock running down on the evening of November 4th, Catesby and Wright rode off for the Midlands, getting in position, ready to enact the rebellion that would follow the initial blow to Parliament, which would take place the following day. But back in London, authorities were already beginning to unravel their plans. Days previously on the 1st of November,

King James became privy to the contents of the so-called Montego letter, and by November 4th, he had guards searching the Palace of Westminster for anything that could cause the letter's ominous blow to Parliament. It was then that officials stumbled upon a peculiar cellar directly below the floors of Parliament, stacked floor-to-ceiling with bundles of firewood. Upon this first inspection, authorities could find no reason for suspicion. While its appearance was undoubtedly odd, there was no law specifically forbidding the storage of what likely seemed like an excessive amount of firewood in the cellars available for rent in the

palace of Westminster. There was a man, some sort of servant that happened to be near the cellar at the time of inspection, but this was similarly not cause for any. overt sense of alarm. It was only after the inspectors left the scene that they discovered the peculiar seller in question belonged to none other than Thomas Percy, a man who was, coincidentally good friend with Lord Montego and whose Catholic sympathies were of relatively common knowledge. That friendship, for the record, is why some suspect the man who delivered letter to be Percy or one of his servants working on his behalf. That connection led the king to demand a second search of the cellar, whereupon they happened on a far more sinister scene than they

had uncovered during their first investigation. When authorities arrived at the cell for a second time, the servant that had been present earlier was there again, only now he had undergone a rather ominous costume change. The servant, who identified himself as John Johnson, was dressed in riding clothes, as if ready to make a quick getaway. When searched, investigators found a watch and long-stemmed matches hidden in the folds of his cloak, leading them once again to take a look at the copious amount of firewood stacked in the cellar before them. It was then that they discovered underneath the bundles of wood lay 36 barrels of gunpowder, waiting for one long-stemmed match to spark the devastating blow to Parliament.

By the early hours of November 5, 1605, the gunpowder plot was one stiff breeze away from, complete and utter collapse. The first call for arrest was for the man whose name was on the lease of the gunpowder-filled cellar, Thomas Percy. Unbeknownst to authorities, Percy was already well on his way to meet Catesby in the Midlands to help enact the second phase of their plot.

But while Percy rode to see what he believed would be the gunpowder plot's inevitable success, all across London, the remaining conspirators were taking to horseback in an altogether much less optimistic and more panicked state of mind. With Fox in custody, the writing was on the wall. It was only a matter of time before the authorities came barreling down their doors. Following his arrest, Fox, known as John Johnson at this point, refused to give up his real name or the names of his co-conspirators. Instead, he calmly claimed that the idea was his own, refusing to show any remorse for his actions.

He told his interrogators, the devil and not God, was to blame for the discovery of the plot. After nearly two days of interrogation, on November 6th, King James finally ordered for the man who claimed to be John Johnson to be taken to the Tower of London, to be tortuous. to be tortured until he gave up information pertaining to the failed attack on Parliament. Within a day of being put on the torture rack, John Johnson revealed himself to be Guy Fawkes, and by November 7th, the oath of secrecy he had sworn at the Duck and Drake Inn a year and a half prior had all but crumbled. While Fox began to crack, some hundred miles north of London, Kateby and his men were preparing for a final stand of their own. By this point, Thomas Percy had managed to find his kinsmen,

but the joy in their reunion was cut short after another conspirator delivered the horrifying news of Fox's capture. The gunpowder hadn't gone off. The Parliament House and all those who were meant to be inside remained unharmed, and the recusant revolution they had been willing to kill for was crumbling under their feet. But even in the face of their inevitable failure, Catesby was nothing if not consistent. Instead of fleeing, as many of the other conspirators attempted to do, he decided to double down on the second part of their plan,

spreading word that King James had died and urging his Catholic brethren, to rise up and unite to place a Catholic leader on the throne. Unfortunately for Catesby, even the false news of King James' death could only seem to rally about 40 men to his cause, not nearly enough to stand a chance against the hundreds that were preparing to ride out against them the next morning.

On the evening of November 7th, exhausted, demoralized, and chilled from trekking through the wet British countryside, Catesby and his men built a fire and set up camp outside Holbish House in Staffordshire. With mud and damp clinging to everything from their clothes to their supplies, the men decided to use what little remained of their collective brainpower to dry out their gunpowder. next to an open bonfire, which is how a little less than two days later than planned, the gunpowder plot conspirators finally got the explosion they had been waiting for.

Unfortunately for them, the blast took place approximately 130 miles from their intended target. The explosion caused several of the men present to suffer from burns of various. degrees. It blinded one of them and left all of them with a significantly depleted supply of gunpowder with which to defend themselves from the authorities who would reach them by the following morning. As the few remaining men who hadn't yet deserted and were relatively unburned enough to fight, gathered to regroup, when they asked what they were to do, Catesby had but one answer. We mean here to die. At 11 o'clock the next morning, the High Sheriff of Worcestershire arrived at Holbysh House with upwards of 200 men, ready to face off with Catesby's meager brigade.

But for as much firepower as the High Sheriff brought, the ensuing shootout was over in a matter of minutes. Of the five men who had begun the gunpowder treason all those months before at the Duck and Drake Inn, three of them would die on the grounds of Holbush House that morning. Thomas Wintour would escape death with just a gunshot wound to his shoulder, but Jack Wright, Thomas Percy, and Robert Katesby were all struck down in the musket fire. Fox, of course, was in the midst of confessing after his ordeal enduring the torture rack in the Tower of London. When they recovered Katesby's body, they discovered he had used his final moment, to crawl toward a picture of the Virgin Mary, holding onto his beliefs as he passed from one life to the next.

In the coming weeks, Wintor and Fox would both be sentenced to death for their treason, and would both ultimately hang from a noose in the old palace yard at Westminster, mere feet away from the building they had attempted to destroy. Days before their execution on January 23, 1606, Parliament under King James I would pass the Thanksgiving Act, the yearly observance every 5th of November commemorating the day the monarchy was saved from the group of Catholic recusants who sought to blow up Parliament. 400 years later, that celebration would morph into the campy pyrotechnic display, known to, as bonfire night that continues to be celebrated annually every November 5th across the UK. Though the historical basis of the holiday stayed the same, the ways in which it's now celebrated

and consequently what the holiday has come to mean have absolutely changed over time. What used to serve as an annual reminder of the day the monarchy prevailed over an English Catholic act of terrorism has shifted into a mostly secular holiday. But more than that, Fox's legacy has shifted from universally hated villain to more rebel we love to hate. The popularity of the Guy Fox mask in pop culture and the resulting impact on his legacy

is just one example of the undeniable truth that history, no matter how hard we try to carve it in stone, will always be subjective. The legacy of the gunpowder treason will likely continue to change, just as it has for hundreds of years. But there is one fact that is for certain. As long as it's fun to gather together

and light things on fire, history will almost certainly remember, remember the 5th of November. That was the end of our two-part series on the failed gunpowder plot. But stick around after a sponsor break to hear a little bit more about how Guy Fox's image has been used in the 400 years since his execution. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wodom. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, and the Big Money Players Network.

It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with him one day. And I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet.

Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be a number. inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah. It would not be. Right. It wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Yeah. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up everyone? I'm Ego Vodom. My next guest,

you know from Stepbrothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Farrell. Woo! Woo! My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings.

I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration.

It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Even if today was the first. time you heard of the gunpowder plot, chances are you've seen Guy Fawkes's face, or at least a

version of it. A stark white face slits for eyes, prominent cheekbones, and inhumanly symmetrical facial hair that looks like it's been drawn on with a marker. The Guy Fawkes mask is a staple at most Halloween stores, especially since V for Vendetta. Its distinct lack of humanity in a face meant to embody the every man, or in this case every guy, makes it all the more creepy. Though in reality, this may be more of a commentary on how Guy Fox's image has been replicated over the centuries, rather than in actual attempt to depict the real face of the real Guy Fox. The truth is, while there are some written accounts about Fox's appearance, any physical representation of his likeness are really just images that have been passed through a few

too many games of historical telephone. Each iteration meant to make him more villain-like than the last. In Antonia Fraser's excellent biography on the gunpowder plot, she describes Fox as being a, quote, tall, powerfully built man with thick, reddish-brown hair, a flowing mustache in the tradition of the time, and a bushy, reddish-brown beard. Historical prints of Fox border on cartoonish, but most portray him as tall and thin, with long, angular facial features and a dubious-looking mustache. All features, I'd like to point out,

that could describe more than a handful of classic childhood cartoon villains. The fact that artists have portrayed Fox in this way is not wholly surprising. After all, he is burned in effigy on a yearly basis. But it does make the emergence of the Guy Fawkes Mask that much more intriguing. The Guy Fawkes Mask, as we know it today, didn't really come into massive popularity

until after the release of the movie based on the graphic novel, Fiefer Vendetta, in 2005. Although the film is a now relatively well-known cultural touch, It didn't break any box office numbers. In fact, at Comic-Con that year, Warner Bros. gave out free Guy Fox masks from the film to promote the movie. The result of that promotion would be the birth of a meme on 4chan in 2006 called Epic Fail Guy, which showed a stick figure finding a guy fox mask in a garbage bin. From 4chan, the hacktivist group known as Anonymous,

as anonymous, would adopt the mask to use as their face, spurring other protest movements to begin to use the Guy Fox mask as the symbol of anarchy and rebellion that the 1982 comic and eventual 2005 movie adaptation made it out to be in the first place. Frankly, there are so many layers to this, like how the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 used the Guy Fox mask, which was produced and sold by Time Warner, to embody an anti-capist regime. Or how Guy Fox himself was not fighting for anarchy, but for what has to be the least punk rock institution of all time, the Catholic Church. But ultimately, it all boils down to how Guy Fox's legacy has simultaneously continued to change over time. yet somehow it always remains sort of the same.

The roles Guy Fawkes has embodied over the last 400 years have run the gambit from villain to anti-hero, but his characterizations were never meant to embody who he was as a singular person. Instead, Guy Fawkes has always been the face of a group, whether it be Catesby and his co-conspirators or the entire anonymous organization, the use of Fox's name in public discourse

has always been to condemn or celebrate the actions of a collective, not a singular man. It's enough to make you wonder what guy would have thought about his legacy, if he would have resented being forever the face of a collective, or if he would have relished the sacrifice of his personhood in favor of continuing to represent, present something far bigger than one person ever could.

Noble Blood is a production of IHeart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble Blood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz. Additional writing and researching done by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is produced by Rima Il Kiali, with supervising producer Josh Thain, and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio,

visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat.

Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.